Pregnancy and childbirth are life changing experiences. Not only do you have a brand new member added to your family, the responsibilities increase overnight too. From the feeding sessions to the diaper changing duties, a baby can bring a lot of blissful changes to your daily routine.
While you happily accommodate your little one’s needs, letting go of sleep and adjusting your schedules to your baby’s nap and feed times, you might want to take a pause and consider family planning.
The reasons could be multiple and don’t worry this is your choice. Whether it’s to concentrate more on your first-born or whether it’s to have the perfect age gap between your children, family planning sometimes can prove to be a wise choice.
However, unlike contraception before the first birth, contraception after delivery might be different. This blog will explore some options that you can use as methods of contraception after pregnancy and delivery.
It is believed that breastfeeding mothers’ chances of conceiving at that time decrease by a fair margin, which in effect, makes breastfeeding a contraceptive. However, it needs to be understood as to how far this is true.
It is a fact that breastfeeding does prevent conception to a certain extent, but then, that also happens only when breastfeeding is regular and your baby is less than six months old. Therefore, in case neither of them are true in your case, then you might want to consider other methods of contraception, in case you want to opt for it.
Breastfeeding also determines what kind of contraception is safe for you. Of the many options available, it’s best to steer clear of methods like the oestrogen/progesterone combination pills and the vaginal ring as the hormones generated by them have the potential to impact your milk production.
It’s best to consult with your doctor if you are particular about any of these three methods of contraception. When you meet with your doctor to discuss the types of contraception that you can use, here are some things he or she might bring up.
Natural contraception: Natural contraception includes methods like pulling out, rhythm observation and avoiding sexual activity during ovulation.The biggest advantage of these methods is the fact that they have no side effects and are completely safe. The downside though is that they do not come with a great rate of efficiency.
Female condom and diaphragm: Very similar to a male condom, female condoms serve the same purpose except for the fact it’s the female, that is you, who would wear it. This is supposed to be inserted inside the vagina to prevent sperm from entering your vaginal cavity and fertilizing your egg. If you have had a vaginal delivery, please check with your doctor as to when you could start using it. Diaphragms are more permanent versions that are supposed to be inserted into the cervix to prevent the entry of sperm.
IUDs: IUDs or intrauterine devices are a great method of contraception and are popularly used. Post delivery, this is a recommended form of contraception but like female condoms, you must check with your doctor as to when you could start using them.
Progesterone-only pills: These pills are safe to consume after pregnancy as they do not alter your milk production. Check with your doctor as to what is the dosage that he or she would recommend for you.
Skin implants: There are some implants that are planted under the skin of your arm or under the skin of your buttocks to act as a method of contraception.
Sterilization: Sterilization is a surgical procedure in which both the partners can get the ‘tubes tied’ to prevent any further pregnancy. This however is a permanent procedure and cannot be reversed.
Male condoms: Male condoms are very common and a highly effective method of contraception that has to be worn by the man to prevent his sperm from entering his partner’s vagina.
Even though there are a lot of options available, please make sure that you hear it out from your doctor so that you know that neither you, your partner or your baby is at any risk. At the Birthplace, our doctor would be happy to meet with you and guide you through your next phase after motherhood.
